Ospreys team to face Leinster

The Ospreys team to play Leinster at the Liberty Stadium on Friday 2nd September 2011, kick off at 7.05pm will be as follows:

15 Richard Fussell

14 Kristian Phillips

13 Andrew Bishop

12 Ashley Beck

11 Hanno Dirksen

10 Dan Biggar

9 Rhys Webb

1 Duncan Jones

2 Mefin Davies

3 Cai Griffiths

4 Ian Gough

5 Ian Evans

6 Tom Smith

7 Justin Tipuric (Capt)

8 Jonathan Thomas

Replacements

16 Matthew Dwyer

17 Ken Dowding

18 Joe Rees

19 James King

20 Morgan Allen

21 Tom Isaacs

22 Matthew Morgan

23 Sonny Parker

The following players were not considered because of injury:

Eli Walker – Haematoma

Scott Baldwin - Hamstring

Aaron Jarvis – Ankle

Craig Cross – Knee

Tom Prydie – ACL

Gareth Owen – ACL

Nikki Walker – Medial Ligament

Richard Hibbard – Ankle

Ross Jones – Ankle

James Goode – Ankle

Joe Bearman – Minor abdominal strain

Director of Coaching, Scott Johnson, commented:

“We’re really looking forward to Friday night, it’ll be good to get back into the serious stuff after a tough pre-season and it should a good test for where we are. It’s important that we get off to a good start, but we’re up against a good team in Leinster, regardless of how many players they will have away at the World Cup.

“This group of players have come together really well over the summer, they’ve been diligent, worked hard, and are ready to go. They know their roles, what they’ve got do and they are desperately keen to do well for the Ospreys.

“We are particularly proud that given the number of players that are away, we can field a team on Friday night that has 14 Welshmen in the starting line-up. That’s a great achievement in the circumstances and something that the region should be proud of. They’ll be up against a Leinster team that while shorn of it’s Irish internationals will still possess a lot of experience, and a lot of players who have experience from different countries, but we’ve got belief in this group of players to make a positive impression this season.

“These players, and a lot of them are still young kids making their first steps as a rugby player with their home region, have a good attitude, they want to wear the shirt with pride, and I sincerely hope that our supporters share our excitement, our sense of optimism and really get behind them this season.”